Against All Odds
by Little Goose Girl
Summary: Gokaiger. The story of how Ahim came to join the Gokai Galleon crew. Just a *hint* of Joe/Ahim. Sorry, I couldn't help myself!
1. Princess

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Super Sentai or anything associated with it.

**Rating: **K+

**A/N: **Hi everyone! I've just recently heard about the wonderful, wonderful world of Sentai, and am doing some MAJOR catch up. I've only seen a handful of Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, so I'm sorry if this story is not up to scratch. Hope you enjoy!

**AGAINST ALL ODDS**

**Chapter 1: Princess**

It was just another of Captain Marvelous' harebrained, impulsive ideas—of that Joe was sure. No doubt Marvelous had cast himself as the heroic captain, rescuing the damsel in distress. Perhaps his plan was romantic, but Joe doubted that. Far more likely, Marvelous was after some sort of reward. Joe wasn't going to point out how hard it would be to extract a reward from a family obliterated by the Zangyack army.

Joe didn't care why she was here. What he cared about was the fact he was being forced to babysit her against his will.

"_It's your turn, Joe," Captain Marvelous said in his typical, authoritative tone. "She doesn't know what has happened. Someone needs to be there with her when she wakes up."_

"_Exactly," Luka agreed. "Otherwise she could break stuff. Steal things!"_

"_You don't think she is dangerous, do you?" Doc asked nervously, peering around Luka's shoulder at the sleeping girl._

"_She doesn't pose any threat to us," Marvelous said, determndly. "But Luka makes a good point. She's already done her shift; it's your turn, Joe."_

"_What about Doc?" Joe says, sitting down on the couch and looking away. "I'm not her babysitter."_

"_Doc's in the middle of some very important work," Marvelous said seriously. "Preparing dinner."_

"_What about you?"_

"As _captain of this ship, I'm too busy to watch for her."_

"_You were the only one who wanted to bring her on board," Joe reminded him. "The rest of us wanted to drop her off at the nearest planet. She's your responsibility."_

"_It's your turn," Marvelous said. "Captain's orders."_

And so it was that Joe found himself stuck guarding the girl—or, as Luka preferred to think of it, guarding the ship from the girl.

Joe sat very still in his chair, arms crossed, legs crossed, frown never fading. The sooner the girl woke up, the sooner the novelty would wear off for Marvelous, and the sooner they could dump her on a nearby planet and get back to usual.

"Excuse me," said a quiet, polite voice from behind Joe. The first mate spun around on the chair and saw that the girl had awoken and was sitting up in the bed. "Where am I?"

"You're on the Gokai Galleon," was Joe's gruff reply.

"Oh," said the girl, confused but calm. "Why is that?"

Joe was going to tell her straight out what happened, but her fear-filled doe eyes made him uncertain. He did not want to be the one to tell her what had happened to her home planet.

"Captain Marvelous will tell you," was all he said.

"Who is Captain Marvelous?" she asked. Clearly, asking questions was helping her to deal with her fear. Joe did not want to talk to her, but did not want to have to deal with her if she went into hysterics.

"Captain of the Gokai Galleon," he said.

"I see," the girl nodded. "And who are you?"

"Joe, first mate."

"Mr Joe, will you please take me to see Captain Marvelous?"

"Stay here," Joe said, getting to his feet.

As he passed by Luka in the main cabin, he said simply, "She's awake."

"And you left her?" Luka cried, disapproval clearly written on her face. She raced off to make sure the girl did not touch anything.

When Joe returned with Captain Marvelous, Luka was standing in the doorway, arms crossed.

"Who are you?" she interrogated the girl.

"I am Ahim," the girl touched her hand to her chest, bowing her head slightly. "Princess Ahim de Famille."

"_Princess?_" Marvelous and Luka exclaimed, eyes wide. Joe pressed his lips firmly together, trying to prevent another frown from appearing on his face.

"Yes," Ahim said politely. "Mr Joe tells me your lovely ship is called the Gokai Galleon. Can you tell me how I came to be aboard? Did you kidnap me?" Joe was amused by how calmly, almost brightly, she asked the last question.

"Eh? Kidnap?" Luka looked angry. "We're not kidnappers; we leave that rubbish to the Zangyack army."

"Luka, quiet," Marvelous said. "Ahim, what's the last thing you remember?"

"I'm not sure," Ahim replied, frowning in thought. "I remember that there was an attack. The Zangyacks were attacking. But I'm not too sure what happened after that, it's all a bit hazy."

"I see," Marvelous stroked his chin, bowing his head in thought.

"Dinner's ready!" Doc said happily, walking up to the others. Seeing Ahim was awake, he immediately hid behind Luka. "Is she dangerous?"

"Get away from me, coward," Luka said in a bored tone. "She's a princess."

"Hello Mr Coward," Ahim smiled at him. "I am Ahim de Famille."

"My name isn't 'Coward'," Doc stuttered as he corrected her. "It's Don—but they all call me 'Doc'."

"Doc," Ahim smiled and bowed her head again.

"Just the man I wanted to see," Marvelous said cheerfully, clapping Doc's shoulder in a one-armed hug. "Ahim, Doc will explain everything to you. I need to eat now."

"Hey?" Doc asked, wide eyes darting around at the other three who were retreating. "What am I explaining?"

"Why the Princess has joined our crew," was Marvelous' only reply.

"Marvelous! Marvelous!" Doc cried out, but none of the others acknowledged him. Slowly, he turned to face the smiling princess. This was not going to be fun.

**There it is, chapter one done! I know it's a bit (read: very) rusty, so I'd appreciate any comments, suggestions or criticisms anyone might have!**

**Have a lovely day,**

**Little Goose**


	2. How it came to be

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Super Sentai or anything associated with it.

**Rating: **K+

**A/N: **_Italics_ = flashbacks. Sorry about slight inconsistencies with plot between the first chapter and this. I had the first chapter and half of chapter two written over a week ago, but had a complete change of heart with how I wanted this chapter to go, so just went with it. Will go back and edit chapter one to make it fit better when I can be bothered. Also, this chapter is a fair bit more serious than the first one, but I hope to get that out of my system soon :-D

**AGAINST ALL ODDS**

**Chapter 2: How it came to be**

_There was not long left. Captain Marvelous had seen it all before. They had less than an hour to get as far away from Famille as possible. "Hurry up!" he shouted to Joe and Luka who were making the last preparations before the Gokai Galleon hauled up its ladder. "Hurry up, hurry up," Navi parroted. Marvelous still found time to shoot the bird a glare in all his rush._

_Damn it, they'd left one of the crates by the docks. It wasn't far away, but it would still take time. Swinging down to land beside Joe and Luka, Captain Marvelous was soon sprinting away. He turned at one point and saw Joe alongside him. He must've remembered too. Either that, or it was just another case of him having the captain's back, if his help was needed. Much was understood between the captain and the first mate, often without a single word needing to be said aloud._

* * *

><p>"How did she take it?" Luka asked as Doc joined the rest at the table.<p>

Doc looked white himself. He'd heard all the details from Marvelous and Joe—mainly Marvelous—and had relayed as much as he thought necessary to Ahim.

"I'm not sure," he said honestly, looking at the plate of food in front of him and finding he had no appetite. "She just went very quiet. Very still."

"She didn't say anything?" Marvelous asked around a mouthful of rice.

"Not a single word," Doc said sadly, frowning at nothing in particular.

* * *

><p>"<em>Hide," Joe said at one point, ducking down an alleyway.<em>

_Marvelous followed suit, then looked out to see what the Joe had seen before him. By the docks, where stood several gleaming spaceships, a commotion erupted. Dozens upon dozens of Gormin and Sugormin were advancing, shooting their weapons with cold precision. Marvelous initially could not see what they were shooting at, but felt the bile in his stomach boil angrily when he realised the Zangyack's target. It was a small group of people. Just four or five. One lady, dressed in a fine white gown, had her hands raised in surrender, but still, the Zangyack shot her down._

_Marvelous got to his feet, but felt a restraining hand on his shoulder._

"_It's too late," Joe said grimly. "There's nothing we can do for them now."_

"_Those scum," Marvelous hissed, spitting on the ground beside him. They waited for the Zangyack to pass, but only about half the horde did. At least thirty still remained, watching over the dead group. Why?_

* * *

><p>"She's awake now, so what do we do?" Joe turned to Marvelous, expecting an answer. Marvelous was not sure he had one to give.<p>

"We've done more than enough for her now," Luka said slowly, as if trying to convince herself. Now that the girl was awake, it was harder and harder to treat her like a strange creature, not like the scared, young soul she was. Luka knew that if the decision _was_ made to drop her off on the nearest planet was made, she would certainly not be the one delivering the news to Ahim.

"But she's all alone!" Doc gasped. "It will be so difficult for her."

Marvelous merely stared at his roast chicken. They did not know anything about the girl, other than her name and the fact that she had been a princess on Famille. It surely was too soon to make a decision either way. They had to give it time.

No, he knew what needed to be done. There really was no alternative. Not in his mind.

* * *

><p><em>Marvelous and Joe heard a scream, and turned to face its source. They saw a young woman—more accurately described as a young girl, perhaps—racing towards the scene. She was dressed similarly to the woman Marvelous had seen shot down, in a white dress full of frills and lace.<em>

"_Idiot," Marvelous hissed. "Why does she run towards them?"_

_Before Joe could stop him—not that he would have—Marvelous was running towards the scene by the docks himself. Joe followed closely behind._

_Marvelous felt that sick feeling again as one of the Sugormin looked up and saw the girl running towards the dead group from Famille. Thankfully, he did not raise his weapon. He merely laughed. Marvelous and Joe saw red._

"_They were defenceless!" the girl shouted as she fell to her knees, cradling the head of the dead women in her lap. "They were peaceful people, why shoot them?"_

_She broke down sobbing, stroking the woman's hair with one hand, placing her other hand on the chest of the lifeless, middle-aged man sprawled out beside her. Joe pushed Marvelous down behind a large wooden sign, now close enough to hear every word being said. They'd have to come up with a plan to get that girl out alive, and going in all gung-ho would not help anyone._

"_Mama," the heard her say quietly, heartbroken. "Papa."_

_Marvelous felt a wave of pity and pain crash into his anger, and hardly knew what to do._

* * *

><p>"Marvelous?" Joe addressed him again, still waiting for his decision. Barely any food had gone from the plates Doc dished out half an hour earlier. In the back of his mind, Marvelous was aggrieved to see such good food go to waste, especially considering they'd left their new supplies behind on Famille. It would be days yet before they could find another planet to stock up on.<p>

"If we drop her off on the nearest planet," Marvelous began carefully, a look of deep concentration on his face, his hands poised in a contemplative gesture. "She will have nothing. She'll need to start over again. She'll have no money, no family, no friends. She may not even speak the language."

"We can give her money," Luka said half-heartedly, as if not convicted of what she was saying. "The friends will come in time. Many people do without family."

"But she was raised a princess," Doc fretted. "Her life skills, her coping skills—they may not be too well developed."

"She's tougher than you think," Joe said. He exchanged a look with Marvelous, who nodded in grim remembrance.

* * *

><p>"<em>They were defenceless," she repeated, all but whispering as she got to her feet, head bowed. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, as though hugging herself, or holding herself together, her hands concealed under her jacket. "But I am not."<em>

_Before the Zangyack had a chance to react, she swung her arms out, now holding a pistol in each hand. Swiftly, she dealt with the ten Zangyack closest to her, before they had a chance to reach for their own weapons. Before she had a chance to get any further, the remaining twenty Zangyack, including three Sugormin, began to fire. The girl spun away from the bodies, using a large statue of a sailor as a shield._

_This was their cue._

_Joe and Marvelous whipped out their Mobirates, transforming into Gokai Red and Gokai Blue. More Zangyack were flooding back to the scene, and they had their work cut out for them. Marvelous went straight for the Sugormin, while Joe worked his way over to the girl, who was ducking out from behind the statue regularly to try to shoot down more of the Zangyack._

_He was by her side in moments, trying to think of the best way to get her out of here and back to the ship. He almost asked her what her own plan was, but knew she did not have one. Joe spared a quick glance at her face to see if she was still holding strong, but that quick glance was enough to tell him she was not coping well. Tears stained her face, and her eyes were red and puffy. She was shaking violently, but to her credit, even as she was sobbing heavily, she was miraculously holding her aim with the gun._

"_Who are you?" she asked in quiet disbelief._

"_Someone who hates the Zangyack," was all Gokai Blue said. He stood back-to-back with her, so they were both covered. "Are you ready to move?"_

"_I-I think so. But where to?"_

"_We've got a ship waiting."_

"_But, my family…" the girl began uncertainly._

"_Were there others?" Joe asked, looking over his shoulder at her._

"_N-no," she stuttered, and Joe saw her posture was beginning to droop._

"_There's nothing more you can do for them."_

"_Shouldn't we kill the Zangyack soldiers first?" she asked, lip trembling._

_Marvelous joined them at this point, emitting a bitter laugh. "No, pretty lady. They'll keep coming, and we can't hold them off forever. We need to create a diversion, and get back to the Gokai Galleon."_

_He'd barely said the words when loud crashes broke out all around them. A shadow passed over them, and they all looked up to see a large, red, flying ship floating above them, canons blazing._

"_Perfect timing," Marvelous said, grinning._

* * *

><p>"She doesn't look like a fighter," Luka said uncertainly.<p>

"Perhaps she won't have to fight?" Doc asked optimistly. "She can stay on the ship with Navi, out of harm's way."

"If she is to become part of this crew, she must fight," Joe said grimly. "I don't know what she is like by sword or hand, but she is quite skilled with guns."

Marvelous looked at Luka, his eyes asking a question that his mouth did not form.

"I suppose we could train her—right, Doc?" she said a little uncertainly, turning to Don. He nodded his agreement.

"And dropping her off at our next stop is out of the question?" Joe asked, raising an eyebrow at Marvelous.

"Yes," the Captain eventually said with a finality that did not leave room for argument. Joe sighed and folded his arms. He was not sure this was a good idea. "Joe," Marvelous continued, meeting his gaze squarely. "She has no one. Her planet is destroyed. She's a nomad, like us." He wanted to say more, but found he could not.

Thankfully, Luka was on the same wavelength. "She needs us," she said quietly.

Joe simply nodded. He'd known this was the only solution all along, but did not feel comfortable dragging the princess into their lifestyle. She was definitely no pirate.

* * *

><p><em>Marvelous spoke too soon, as five Sugormin burst through the large statue, sending large chunks of marble flying everywhere. Protected in their suits, Marvelous and Joe tried to shield the girl with their bodies, but one stone slipped between them, hitting the girl square on the head. She collapsed to the ground, unconscious.<em>

_Marvelous quickly whipped out his Shinken Red key, and made the change. He powered up his Shinkenmaru, transforming it into the Rekka Daizanto. As Joe ducked down to pick up the girl, Marvelous swung the weapon around in a large, fiery circle, destroying the Sugormin and Gormin in the immediate vicinity._

"_Ready?" he asked Joe, who was standing up with the girl swung over his shoulder._

"_Ready," the first mate responded. They looked up to the Gokai Galleon, which had just dropped the ropes for their escape. _Screw the crate of food_, Marvelous thought, but he could not help the small twinge of regret as he thought of their loss._

**And there we have it. Chapter two completed. Poor Ahim. I have a feeling I'll need the tissues out when we get to her background story in two episode's time! Much like with poor Mako's story. That made me tear up more than just a little bit. Ahim's is going to be so much more tragic, though. Gah!**

**I know I said I'd be working on a fic request, and I do apologise to **pinkwildcat94**, but I've started it at least! I've just run into a bit of a brick wall, but I'm working on it! I promise :-D**

**Happy reading and enjoy this Sunday's episode!**

**Little Goose Girl**


	3. Part of the Crew

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Super Sentai or anything associated with it.

**Rating: **K+

**A/N: **Hello again lovely people! Once more, I'm setting myself a goal. This story is to be completed before Episode 41, at which point it will become completely irrelevant :p Gah, how good does the preview look? My mind is working overtime with it, but I'm forbidding myself to write any more fics about it, as I have so many others on the go at the moment. But man, it looks EPIC!

**A/N2: **I usually try to stick with keeping everything in my stories English, but it's pretty apparent that "Mr Marvelous" just doesn't have the same effect as "Marvelous-san", so I tend to use those honorifics these days. Also, I call Don "Doc" everywhere, in keeping with my everything-must-be-translated-ness, HOWEVER, I have Ahim call him "Hakase-san", because "Doc-san" just seems weird. So before anyone points out the inconsistency, I'm owning up to it :p

**AGAINST ALL ODDS**

**Chapter 3: Part of the Crew**

Joe and Doc were alone in the main cabin when Ahim finally came downstairs. Marvelous was steering the ship, while Luka was in the crows' nest on lookout. They'd just that day reached a small backwater planet, with nothin much to recommend it other than solid ground to allow them to get out and stretch their legs. Ahim timidly climbed down the stairs, lifting her charred skirt out of the way of her feet. Doc scrambled to his feet when he saw her coming down, and went to meet her by the base of the stairs.

"Ahim-hime," Doc spluttered out. "How are you feeling?"

"As well as can be expected," Ahim smiled at him. "There is no need to call me 'hime', Hakase-san. I'm not a princess any more."

"Ahim," Doc breathed sadly, giving her a pitying look. Clearly, she had been doing a lot of deep thinking the three days she had been aboard the Gokai Galleon. Joe nodded in approval, though neither of the others saw it, from where he was playing cards at the coffee table. It was just as well she did not expect to be recognised as a princess. It still remained to be seen whether she would ever be a true pirate.

"May I please have some tea?" Ahim asked, taking a seat at the table.

"Tea?" Doc looked flustered. "I'm sure I'll find a kettle and some tea leaves somewhere. We don't often have tea."

"Oh, I don't wish to put you to any trouble," Ahim smiled gently at him again.

"No," Doc rushed to say, smiling back. "It's no trouble. I'll find it."

With that Doc hurried off to the kitchen. Ahim and Joe were left alone. Joe continued his game of solitaire, getting a little frustrated at the deck he had been dealt. Ahim was sitting, back straight, hands folded neatly in lap, looking every bit a noble lady. Joe could not help but notice this out the corner of his eye, and let out a little huff.

After a few minutes' silence, punctured only by clatterings coming from the kitchen as Doc continued his search for the kettle, Ahim finally spoke.

"Thank-you, Joe-san," she said, looking him in the eye in earnestness.

Joe was not one to blush, but he felt truly uncomfortable that the former princess should be thanking him at all.

"I haven't done anything," he said with a shrug of his shoulders, trying to regain focus for his game of cards.

"But you have," Ahim pressed on, no smile on her face now, but truth and verity there in abundance. "You saved me—you, and Marvelous-san. If it had not been for you being there, I would be d—dead," she paused a moment to regain her composure, before whispering: "Like my family and my people."

"Hmm," was all Joe said, unsure what else he _could_ say.

"Clearly, it did not mean anything to you," Ahim continued, blushing a little now, slightly mortified. "But it meant a great deal to me. I owe Joe-san and Marvelous-san my life."

"You don't owe us anything," Joe said firmly, embarrassed. He was not used to being thanked for doing what he thought was right. He got to his feet. He'd struck out with solitaire, so was going to go and do some sword practice.

"But I do," Ahim nodded vigorously, affirming her belief. "It was an act of incredible bravery. If we were on Famille, my father would surely have given you a medal for bravery."

They exchanged a look. The unspoken thought was clear in both their eyes. _We are not on Famille. Your father is dead._ Ahim bowed her head, feeling her eyes start to water.

"You were brave yourself," Joe said uncertainly. For years, the only girl he'd really come into contact with was Luka, and she did not show her feelings as openly as this girl did.

"I was not brave," Ahim laughed humourlessly. "I was angry. I wanted to kill the one who killed my parents. By the time I got there, though, Zatsuriku had moved on, so I settled for attacking the Gormin. I was convinced I was going to die, so I was going to take down as many of the Zangyack with me as I could. You did not have to save me. I was a stranger."

Ahim shook herself, and finally looked up once more, a gentle smile on her face. "Thank-you, Joe-san."

Joe nodded stiffly, looking towards the exit. "I'm going to do some sword practice," he said, avoiding looking at Ahim. "You're welcome to join me, if you'd like."

"I'm afraid I do not know how to use a sword," Ahim admitted.

Joe had suspected as much. "I'll teach you."

Ahim was just getting to her feet when Doc burst back into the room. "Found it!" he said triumphantly.

Ahim gave Joe an apologetic look. He merely shrugged, heading towards the exit. "Maybe later," he said without looking back.

* * *

><p>When Joe returned to the Galleon a couple of hours later, he found Marvelous had resumed his usual place in the captain's chair. A glance around the room told Joe that no one else was there.<p>

"Where are the others?" he asked, referring to Doc and Luka.

"Luka is out teaching Ahim how to use a sword, and I think Doc went to join them," Marvelous said in a bored tone, examining the apple he held in his hand. Joe started at how easily Marvelous had slipped in Ahim's name, as though she were part of the 'others'; the other members of the Gokaigers.

"She's not one of us," Joe pointed out. He knew the others knew it too, though they all seemed to be overlooking her unsuitability to be part of their crew out of pity for her.

"Her skill with a gun is far better than Doc's," Marvelous pointed out. "And he's pretty good. She might even be better than me."

"She is too refined for this lifestyle," Joe said stubbornly.

"She wants to fight," Marvelous said, finally looking up from the apple and meeting Joe's eyes. "I had a chat with her. It seems she's determined to fight the Zangyack for what they did." Joe grunted, and Marvelous raised his eyebrow. "You won't let her fight? True, she doesn't know much about it now, but Doc and Luka are willing to train her—I'm surprised with how strongly Luka has responded to her. I also noticed in our chat that she is quite the diplomat. That will certainly come in handy with some of the sticky situations we get ourselves into."

"The sticky situations _you_ get us into," Joe corrected. Marvelous shot him a look. Joe knew there was no point arguing further, but could not help but add, "She'll never be a pirate."

"No," Marvelous agreed. "But perhaps that's a good thing." After a moment's silence, he thoughtfully added, "Remember, neither is Doc."

"Doc is a good mechanic and cook," Joe said. "But, I suppose, she may be useful in her own way, as he is."

"That's the spirit," Marvelous said half-heartedly, chomping down on his prized apple at last. "Besides, most of the ranger keys come in sets of five. It's time we used a whole set. It's time we activated Gokai Pink."

**Short chapter, I apologise! But hey, at least it's a new chapter ;-p**

**If you can be bothered, I'd love to hear from more of you readers! Criticisms, suggestions, comments, anything! Reviews make me exceptionally happy :-D**

**Thanks for reading and have an awesome day,**

**Little Goose Girl**


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